Cold Nights, Warm Memories
by AuroraRain18
Summary: (Season 11 Oneshot) Stranded in the Never Realm with a companion that doesn't seem particularly keen about him, Lloyd finds himself worn out from previous events. The nights become cold, and the unlikely allies find shelter to shield them until morning. It was far from warm, but Lloyd couldn't care less. It was the warmth in them that mattered most.


**So with Ice Chapter coming out, and Akita's identity revealed (not to mention their hilarious interactions with each other), I thought that it was about time I tried another one-shot. I just like these two a lot, and I would say I ship em since there's definitely chemistry. Fight me on it, they're a special case. **

**So yeah... Lloyd and Akita. Enjoy xD**

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It soon became too cold to stay outside, forcing Lloyd and Akita to find some sort of shelter for the night. Fortunately the large mountain that Lloyd's mech had fallen from had several large crevices that could conceal the duo for the night.

And as soon as morning hit, they were off.

Akita had fallen straight into slumber the second her eyes closed and her body relaxed against the ground. The boy wondered how she could be so _comfortable_, but he assumed she would probably tell him about being one with the Earth or some other ridiculous statement.

Truth be told, though, he was really jealous. Being a wolf for so long probably had it's perks.

She had certainly made sure he _knew_ there were benefits.

Lloyd sulked for a moment, relieved that Akita already asleep simply because it allowed him the ability to be slightly upset about this situation.

Sure, _maybe_ she was nice, and her backstory was rather tragic. The girl certainly didn't beat the company of his friends, but she wasn't the _worst_. Perhaps a little... sharp... at times. Akita tended to snap at him often, prompting him to do the same (Wu would be very disappointed with this behavior), but seriously? How could he stand to have some _girl_ tell him what to do and how to do it? He was the Green Ninja for the First Spinjitzu Master's sake! Akita definitely represented her animal form well, and even then... Lloyd preferred the wolf.

On top of that... a _girl_?! Lloyd had struck out big time with Harumi and here he was again, stranded with a girl who had pretended to be his friend, but only wanted revenge, turning out to be someone completely different. The circumstances were different, with Akita being _slightly_ less deranged, but anyone could tell that this was just ridiculous. His luck couldn't be _this_ bad, could it?

_I wonder what everyone else is up to_. Lloyd thought, before a yawn broke through his thinking process. Whatever stories they had to tell probably wouldn't be as interesting as _his_ grand adventure, and the surprise he had gotten that very morning. His team would probably eat this whole situation up, and make fun of him again simply because Akita was in fact a girl... who had saved him... a lot.

On second thought... maybe it would be best to _not_ mention Akita. Besides, if the girl couldn't handle _him_, she probably didn't want to be mixed up with his friends in the first place.

Lloyd yawned again, laying back against the stony edge of the cave to watch the light of his lantern flicker, casting dark shadows across the walls. It had been a long, strenuous day of many more to come. The Green Ninja had a feeling that the rock monster and Akita's identity were just the beginning of his problems, and this time, he wanted to be ready for what was to come.

If only he could get the sleep for that, though.

Much to his surprise Akita rolled onto her side, staring at Lloyd with a fierce expression that almost made him fear for his life (he was tougher than that, though).

"I can hear your endless worrying from over here."

"How long have you been awake?" Lloyd narrowed his eyes, not so much in an unfriendly way, but an oddly suspicious way. Not that he _wanted_ to be suspicious, but he had to be... cautious. This realm had proved to be dangerous, and his past experiences with women weren't all too friendly.

"Long enough." She blinked, looking him over. "I've been wondering..."

"... about?"

The wolf girl sat up, crossing her legs and studying his clothing.

"Why do you wear such an eyesore of a color?" she asked, picking at the cloth on his arm. Lloyd pulled his arm away, offering a sarcastic grin, whilst fighting the urge to turn away and grumble about how awful this trip was going to be.

"You're wearing _red_," he said instead, slightly offended by her choice of words. His gi was _respectable_.

"It represents my tribe," she huffed, crossing her arms. Her wild dark curls bounced along with her movement, and her frown turned into somewhat of a growl. "And I highly doubt such an outlandish color like _that_ has any significant meaning."

"_Hey_!" Lloyd said, nearly fed up with her attitude. "I'll have _you_ know that this color represents _my_ status as one of Ninjago's greatest protectors!"

"Greatest protectors?" She smirked. "Then tell me, _great protector. W_hy did you have to have _my_ help throughout your journey?"

"I could have very well made it on my own!" Lloyd argued, a little peeved that she had to bring that up. Yeah, sure, her help was greatly needed and appreciated, but she didn't have to know that. _Yet_. "I'm just... used to working with a team..."

Akita suddenly dropped her hostile composure, tilting her head with curiosity.

"What's a team?"

He was... stunned. Lloyd blinked a few times, trying to figure out if she was serious or not. The look in her eyes told him _yes_. She was indeed serious.

"A-A team is like... you and me. You know we... stick together. Because we're partners."

"_Partners_?" Her brows furrowed. "Like... mating partners? My village had those, and every sun season they'd-"

"NO!" Lloyd interrupted her, fighting a very serious blush. "_No no no_, not mating partners. Not at all!"

Akita nodded, contently. "Well good, because I doubt you'd be remotely qualified for mating."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Lloyd asked, unsure of whether to be offended or relieved.

Akita squinted.

"Too... _scrawny_."

_Too flabby for Wu's standards and too scrawny for hers. These people need to make up their minds, _He thought bitterly.

Lloyd huffed, pushing away that statement, which had surely made another dent to his ego.

"Well, whatever. It's not like I'd like that stuff anyway."

"Indeed. Nor would I."

The silence became thick and... well... extremely awkward. Lloyd was too flustered to talk anymore, and longed for rest, but alas... Akita was still curious.

"I... _still_ don't understand what you called a team."

The boy sighed.

"A team is... a bunch of people who work together. They help each other, and they all try to achieve something. And most times... they're some of your greatest friends."

Akita hummed, looking away from him and to the lantern. Lloyd mirrored her, starting to think about how much he missed his friends. And how much he missed _Zane_. It was so unfair that they had to lose him again, and Lloyd only wished for him to be alright. Just as he wished his friends were holding up okay.

"Your team... do they all wear your color?"

Lloyd chuckled, tuning back in. "Nah... our colors represent our elements, and we all have different ones. We're all sorta like a rainbow." He summoned a small amount of his green energy to show her what he meant.

Her curiosity only grew.

"_Rainbow_?"

Lloyd laughed again. "You're kidding me! You've _never_ seen a rainbow?"

Akita shook her head.

"Well... um... it's kind of like colorful arcs in the sky."

"Like _painted_ _arches_?"

"Um... yeah, I guess. You'll have to show me some time," he suggested with a small smile.

Akita, however, frowned. "Kataru and I used to see them all the time before this winter. Perhaps... once it ends..."

Lloyd felt kinda bad, all things considered. Boy, did he know a thing or two about losing loved ones. It was hard to see such an innocent girl grieving when something so tragic shouldn't have happened. He was the protector of Ninjago... but after hearing her story... he wished he could have been there to protect her home too.

"You... must really miss him."

"I do..." she admitted. "He was... like my team. It's been so hard without him. I've felt..."

"Alone?"

Akita nodded, making Lloyd's heart clench. This girl and him had more in common than he originally thought. The feeling of loneliness was also no stranger to the Green Ninja. But... he had people who picked him back up.

"Hey," he nudged the girl who had lowered her head in saddened silence. "You've got me around now. I... might not be the _best_ of company you've had... but I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

"How reassuring," she muttered, wiping at her eyes. "I'm bored to death either way."

"I was _trying_ to be nice! You should try it sometime!"

Akita shrugged, having recovered from her wave of sadness. "Perhaps tomorrow I can try... _nice_. Is it delicious?"

"W-What?" he stammered, before realizing that she probably didn't know what _that_ meant either. Maybe that's why she was so cold. Maybe nice was foreign to her. "No, it's being _considerate_ and kind."

"I saved your _life_, green one. I don't know how much kinder I can get."

"Yeah, whatever," Lloyd rolled his eyes, moving to lay down. His back faced her as he settled into a comfortable enough position to hopefully fall asleep in. "... you're pretty nice though. Minus... a few... instances."

"Thank you."

Lloyd set his shoulders, taking a deep breath before turning to lay on his back. His eyes traveled over to the girl, who was also facing an opposite wall, breathing rather calmly considering how cold and unsettling this place was. Once again, his mind began to wander, and he started to fidget by picking at the sides of his gi, overwhelmed with the worry this realm brought him.

And once again, Akita turned over, regarding him sourly.

"You are still worrisome. What troubles you?"

"It's... complicated," he sighed, averting his eyes.

"Okay..."

Akita turned back over, and Lloyd watched her curl up to preserve heat.

The girl confused him. She didn't seem to have ill intentions towards him (most times), but she was particularly hostile sometimes. Although, maybe that was a result of the attack on her village. Maybe years of wandering around all alone had hardened her, to the point where she wasn't sure how to be trusting anymore.

He felt... terrible.

Maybe he could work on being warmer towards her. This harsh winter that had lasted for decades didn't have to extinguish all the warmth in this realm. Perhaps he could show her what it was like to have someone to stick beside. That's what he did best, really.

"Hey... Akita?"

"Yes, Lloyd?"

"Is this color really an eyesore?" He ran his fingers over the soft material, before looking over to her.

The girl was silent for a moment, and Lloyd almost regretted asking, feeling slightly embarrassed for bringing it up again.

"It's... growing on me." Akita mumbled.

And just like that... Lloyd had to smile. Maybe she did still have some warmth left in her. Just maybe.

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**It's not exactly romance, but I really do think these two would be kinda cute together. It was fun wrapping up their personalities and creating this, I must say, and I definitely hope there will be more opportunities for oneshots like this soon :)**

**As always, any support is appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


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